Modoc Forest to Get Family of 20,000

Published June 15, 2004

Rainbow Family to meet near Likely in July

By LEE JUILLERAT

The mountains near Modoc will be invaded by upwards of 20,000 people in coming weeks.

People from a group known as "The Rainbow Family of Living Light" have started gathering near Bearcamp, a remote mountain area in the Modoc National Forest's Warner Mountain Ranger District between Eagleville and Likely.

The location, which was not announced until late last week, is near the site of the Rainbow's 1984 gathering that was held at Camp One. An estimated 22,000 people of the loosely knit, counter-culture group attended that encampment.

National gatherings have been held annually on Forest Service lands since 1972. Over the past decade, gatherings have drawn between 10,000 and 20,000 people.

This year's gathering officially runs from July 1 to July 7. The expected high-point will be July 4 when people gather in a "Circle of Peace," a silent gathering to pray for world peace.

Modoc National Forest and Modoc County area law enforcement personnel have been meeting with Rainbow members since Friday. The group claims it has no leaders and says no member is an official spokesperson. A National Incident Management Team has been used since 1998 to manage Rainbow gatherings, which are held on different national forests. The specific gathering locations are announced only a few weeks before each gathering.

"At this point in time it is an illegal gathering," said Donna Wilson, the incident team's media representative. "We are hoping they will sign a permit and make this a legal gathering."

In 1995 the Forest Service implemented regulations that require group-use permits for noncommercial gatherings of 75 or more people on National Forest lands. Wilson said the regulations serve three purposes: promotion of public health and safety, protection of forest resources, and prevention of conflicts among used on National Forest System lands.

Rainbow members claim the permit requirement violates their First Amendment rights. If no permit is obtained, organizers and participants could be cited for failure to obtain the required permit. Violations have been successfully prosecuted for past gatherings. So far, 17 district courts and five federal courts of appeals have upheld the constitutionality of the Forest Service's noncommercial group use rule.

The gatherings create concerns because of impacts on small towns and resulting resource damage. This year the gathering will be near Likely, Eagleville and Alturas. Although the 1984 gathering went mostly without incident, some people say it took three years for water quality and other resource damage to be corrected.

In recent years, county and state governments have attempted to bill the Rainbow Family for resulting costs for law enforcement, hospital, garbage and other costs.

Ongoing concerns resulted in use of National Incident Management Teams, which include an incident commander and support staff, natural resource specialists and advisors, and about 40 law enforcement officers, including K-9, mounted police and patrol officers from the Forest Service, California Highway Patrol, Modoc County Sheriff's Department and California Department of Fish and Game.

"We're hoping we can take some of the pressure off the people on the (Modoc) Forest so they can do their jobs," Wilson said.

Wilson said the loose structure, and uncertainties about the number of attendees, complicates management.

"Anyone is welcome to come and that's what makes it so difficult to manage because you get all kinds of people," Wilson said. "There's always a concern when you are looking an at 'incident city' of 10,000 to 20,000 people."

Heading the incident team is U.S. Special Agent Tim Lynn. Modoc Supervisor Stanley Sylva said the Modoc is "extremely fortunate" to be working with Lynn, who is assigned to the Washington Office Enforcement and Liaison staff and has handled Forest Service law enforcement and investigations for five years. Lynn also served seven years with the U.S. Secret Service in Washington, D.C. and three years with the U.S. Navy Seabees assigned to Camp David.

Lynn and others were meeting with law enforcement officials, including the Modoc County Sheriff's Department, at the site this morning.

Alturas Police Department Lt. Sid Cullins said the city has not yet finalized specific plans, but predicted increased patrols.

"I'm sure we're going to be busier," Cullins said.

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